BioWare's next game: Is this the first look at a new Command and Conquer?

Internet detectives pull out all stops on Case of the Generic Subject Matter

In an age where game trailers are so in-depth as to come with their own making-of clips, BioWare seems determined to put the “tease” back in “teaser.” Based on Internet feedback to the studio's two-second clip at the Spike VGAs, it's trying to squeeze “oh dear God exactly how much rampant speculation did you want us to do on this damn thing” in there too. Currently leading the informed-guesswork polls: a new Command and Conquer.

At the suggestion of Internet sleuths, CVG follows the breadcrumbs from the LinkedIn profile of Valerie Nunez, a developer who listed her employer as “Victory Games – BioWare.” (It's since been amended to “Electronic Arts”). Victory was outed as the developer of a new C&C earlier this year. No ties had been made between Victory and BioWare until Nunez' LinkedIn joined the two, but BioWare's clip does mention it's from “a new BioWare studio,” and Command and Conquer sure does have army vehicles exploding in urban environments, right?

Above: A leaked trailer for Mercs Inc. Note the cursory resemblance. NOTE IT

Another possibility is Mercenaries relaunch Mercs Inc, under development at EA Los Angeles. Stay with us here: the Mercenaries series was launched by Pandemic, before that studio was shut down by parent company EA. Pandemic refugees then founded Visceral, whose LA division was known to be working with EA on future projects; however, back when Visceral (then Pandemic, remember) was acquired by Electronic Arts, the deal also included Visceral's partner studio, BioWare. It's entirely possible that Visceral LA could be folded into BioWare, in which case the “new BioWare studio” would be composed of Visceral and EA LA staffers working on Mercs Inc. And Mercenaries sure does have army vehicles exploding in urban environments, right?

Or maybe this is a whole new franchise about army-men blowing up tanks in wartorn urban environments. What's important is that, until the game's physically installing on your hard drive, all of us should never, ever stop speculating wildly. Knowing is half the battle, but haphazard guessing is the other, much more fun, half.